


Pretty Eyes

by Anonymous



Category: My Chemical Romance
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blind Character, Blindness, Depression, Divorce, F/M, Ferard, Frerard, Hurt/Comfort, I love lindsey tho dont get angry lol, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-14 03:16:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16031855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: When Gerard is blinded after an attack, who'll help him through it? Frerard.





	1. Losing Sight

**Author's Note:**

> The attack.

Lindsey kissed Gerard quickly before she lifted a nicely dressed Bandit and smiled. 

"The birthday party ends at 11. But we should be back before then." she told him as she grabbed her purse and headed towards the front door. 

"'Kay babe. Love you." Gerard nodded before he turned back to his laptop. 

"Love you too!" She yelled back.

And he heard the door close shut. 

Gerard sighed and went back to writing some notes for his new comic, although writers block was plaguing him tonight. He would have wanted to go with Lindsey and Bandit, but Gerard was always careful as to what public events to attend. Being as he was after all, a famous rockstar. Gerard typed and backspaced some things a few times, before finally giving up half an hour later. 

He went upstairs to go watch some television. Perhaps a bit of relaxing would refresh his mind, he figured. He went into their bedroom, hopped on to the bed and turned on the tv. Checking the guide, he decided on watching some King of The Hill as he sat back and relaxed. 

Then, at around 8:30 he heard a noise. A slight thump. Curious,Gerard got himself out of bed and walked outside of the room. He looked down to see where the noise may have emitted from. When he saw nothing, he made to turn back. 

Suddenly, a large pair of hands pushed him down onto the floor. Gerard turned quickly around to see what had happened. A very heavy set man was behind him, wheezing and looking at him strangely. 

"Who the fuck are you?" asked Gerard, trying to sound intimidating despite how scared he felt. The man didn't answer. He grabbed Gerard by the hair and dragged him to the bed. Gerard tried to fight against him, but his frail, skinny frame was no match again this beast of a man. He grunted as he shoved Gerard into the mattress. 

Gerard screamed for help as the man dealt him various blows in an effort to shut him up. He then pulled out a blade and pressed it to Gerard's neck. Gerard quieted down and stared at the blade wide eyed with fear. 

"Be nice, or I'll kill you." the man growled. 

Gerard could tell something was off about this man. He was definitely wrong in the head. Gerard stayed still, paralyzed by the threat of the knife. The man proceeded to get out some duct tape from his back pocket. He cut off a strip and placed it securely over Gerard's mouth. He then turned Gerard over and taped together Gerard's wrists behind his back. 

Wasting no time, the man went on to take Gerard's pants off. Gerard's heart raced as he could feel the man unbuttoning his tight black jeans. He stripped them off Gerard in one swift motion, revealing his bare bottom. The man ran his hands over his pale cheeks, and Gerard shuddered. He inserted a few fat fingers into him, and Gerard felt his back arch from the sensation. The man then sliced a gash into Gerard's leg which earned a small muffled scream. 

"I said be nice." the man said through gritted teeth. 

Gerard tried to calm himself. This must be some sort of fucked up nightmare. The man stroked his legs roughly. Gerard felt something slimy begin to poke around in his anus. The man was licking, inserting his tongue into his asshole, perhaps as to provide lubricant. A wave of nausea came over Gerard and he had to swallow back bile as the man inserted his tongue deeper and deeper. Gerard tried hard to be quiet, but small whimpering noises were spilling out of him none the less.

What felt like ages later the licking sensation stopped. The man lifted his tongue, letting the cold air hit his now moist asshole. Gerard wondered hopefully if the man might be done with him. But then he felt a large muscle come upon him, and he knew what it was. The man was preparing to insert himself in. 

Panicking, Gerard tried desperately to think of a way out of this. Unfortunately he realized he could do little to nothing with his hands bound, and the gash in his leg was already searing with pain. It was unlikely he'd be able to run from the situation. Before he could think more of it, the man began his intrusion into Gerard's entrance. 

Gerard screamed and screamed against the duct tape. Completely forgetting about the knife, he began writhing from the pain as the man's large cock stretched him out. The man didn't seem to care, he was enjoying himself quite a lot. He issued a violent thrust into Gerard to make sure he was completely in before he snickered. 

"You feel good." he said. 

The man thrust into Gerard repeatedly. Gerard felt as though each was more painful than the last. The man lay himself on top of Gerard, crushing him into the mattress. The man was already moist with sweat, perhaps nervous or exhilarated by the act he was committing alone. Gerard felt the ability to breathe leave him soon enough. He felt his tailbone break. Tears streamed down his face and he tried to suppress his sobs. 

It went on for nearly two hours. The man twisted and turned Gerard into different positions. And by the end of the ordeal, Gerard looked as though he had been mauled by a wild animal. Some would say he had. With Gerard bleeding and broken on his back beneath him, the man grabbed his knife.

"You didn't see my face." he grunted. 

And he took his knife and plunged it straight into Gerard's left eye. He twisted it inside the socket as Gerard screamed and convulsed in agony. He released the knife and made to do the same to the other eye. Gerard shut his eyelid quickly, but it was no use. The man just pried it open and drove the blade through that eye. 

And just like that, Gerard could see no more.


	2. A New Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hospital and afterwards.

Mikey sat in the lobby, his face buried in his hands. He could not see Ray, or Frank, or Lindsey, who were all next to him -- but he knew if he could, he would see expressions that mirrored his own. Distraught. Angry. Scared. They were currently at the hospital, awaiting Gerard to be out of surgery. He was having eye prosthetics being implanted. It was a simple procedure really, the surgeon had insisted there was little to be concerned about. Yet the prosthetics were simply for cosmetic purposes. The fact remained, Gerard would never be able to see again. 

Mikey remembered getting the frantic phone call from Lindsey at midnight. She told him of how she had come home to find her husband raped, beaten, bound and blind. His attacker had fled the scene. He had been given the task of telling the others. It had been the most difficult thing trying to give Ray and Frank the information, when he could barely bring himself to speak. How he was supposed to put the words "Gerard" and "raped" together was beyond him. 

And then he remembered seeing him. Right before the surgery. Gauze where his eyes should be. He looked so frail and broken. Mikey didn't understand how anyone could have done this. They destroyed something beautiful, and left it far from perfect. Just... why? It was so senseless.

He remembered seeing the fury in Frank's eyes. Mikey had never seen him so angry. He remembered the confusion in Lindsey's. Like she was completely lost as to what to do. And he remembered the pity in Ray's. Mikey himself didn't know how to describe the emotions he felt at the moment. He may have still been in shock. Right before Gerard went in, Mikey had squeezed his hand and told him he loved him. Gerard said nothing. He hadn't said a word since they found him. Mikey was afraid this could drive him into being mute as well. 

All these thoughts about what could happen to Gerard were flooding his mind. Yet for some reason, what this meant for the future of the band didn't occur to him even once. Perhaps it was because it was something that didn't need any thought: If Gerard was done, My Chemical Romance was done. 

~ 

Gerard was out of surgery. He was being placed as an outpatient, ready to be discharged. He could hear the physician talking to Mikey and Lindsey. Gerard hated it, they spoke of him like he wasn't there. The physician was basically telling them that he had to learn to adapt a new way of life. He was telling them that they needed to take care of him while he did. Like some sort of child. It was humiliating. And it didn't fucking help that they would not acknowledge him directly. He wasn't deaf, and he was perfectly capable of speaking for himself. Or was he? 

He hadn't been able to bring himself to speak since the attack happened. Gerard still felt a looming state of terrible fear. The last thing he saw was the sweaty, triple chinned face of his attacker --- his rapist. And then everything was just dark. Although he knew he was in a safe environment now, it felt like the majority of him was lost somewhere. He felt worried he would never find his way back. 

Gerard listened to the physician tell them about the prosthetics. He was basically explaining that they had implanted temporary balls into his eyes, to make sure the structure around the eyelids maintained their shape while they made custom prosthetics. The custom prosthetics would be delivered in 6 weeks. Then it would be "easy as changing a contact lens". Gerard almost scoffed at that. Leave it to someone with fully functioning vision to say anything about going blind was easy. The physician told them in the meantime he'd just have to cover his eyes with sunglasses. The temporary implants had no iris, and would be alarming to the public. Gerard immediately wanted to hide his face after he said this. He felt self conscious and embarrassed. What must Lindsey and Mikey be seeing right now? How bad did this look? He felt ugly. This wasn't fair. Gerard hung his head in shame. 

Then Gerard felt a hand grip his leg. It was a bigger hand than Lindsey's, but still just as gentle. The hand moved to his chin and tilted his head upwards. 

"Don't worry. You're still beautiful." said a familiar voice in a hushed tone.

Gerard wasn't aware Frank had been there, and felt extremely relieved that he was. He knew Frank was able to tell that he was uncomfortable, or embarrassed. They were best friends, and best friends as close as they could tell what the other was feeling just by seeing. Unfortunately, as Gerard could not see, he was unable to analyze Frank's emotions at the moment. But he could hear the sincerity in his voice, and that was enough. 

~

Four days later.

Lindsey had asked him to keep his sunglasses on in the house. She said she didn't want him scaring Bandit. But over the next few days, it seemed Bandit was more concerned as to why her father wasn't playing with her as much as he usually did. Gerard did try, but it wasn't much use when he couldn't see a damned thing. He let Bandit play doctor with him, where he would be the patient, so he didn't have to do much of anything. But he couldn't play ball with her, or color with her. Nor could he ask her to understand that he was now blind. It broke him inside to know he was disappointing his daughter like this. 

The blindness wasn't all of it. There still stood the fact that he had been raped, and his disability didn't spare him from the depression that that brought. Visions of the attack plagued him. At times he could almost feel hands groping him. He had multiple night terrors in one night, to the point where he would give up on sleep. 

Gerard wasn't sure what Lindsey thought of this. He wasn't sure if she was trying to help him or not. It was true, he didn't feel he was ready to make love to her again. To be naked in front of another human being. So he didn't blame her when she didn't try to engage anything sexual. Yet it seemed like she had completely pulled all affection. It was like she had begun to avoid him. He tried to tell himself it was due to the rape. That she didn't want to make him feel violated again.

He almost hoped it was. Because the alternative was something he didn't want to think about.


	3. The Bigger Picture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The surprise.

Mikey and Frank grinned at each other as they pulled up Gerard's driveway with a backseat and trunk full of luggage. They had told him nothing of what they had planned, but they knew he would be ecstatic. They had both been worried sick about Gerard in the past two weeks, and decided -- instead of trying to call each other to try to find out how Gerard was doing, why not just go see for themselves? So Mikey told Alicia and Frank told Jamia that they would be away for a couple weeks, and here they were. 

Mikey turned off the ignition and they got out of the car. Marching up the driveway, they went up to the patio, and Mikey got out his key. They opened the door. 

Their jaws dropped. 

Objects were flipped over everywhere. Papers were on the ground. Some of the decor was in shattered pieces on the floor. Mikey immediately feared there had been another break in. 

"Gerard! GERARD!" Mikey went into an instant panic. He couldn't deal with something happening to his brother yet again. Not so soon. Frank nodded his head in the direction of the kitchen, as though to say he should follow. Mikey walked behind him as Frank led them to where the kitchen table was. It was there they found Gerard.

He was seated awkwardly on the chair, quietly weeping. His hands were gripping the table, and they were cut up and bleeding. Frank was the first to come forward. 

"Gerard?" he asked gently, and ran a hand through Gerard's red locks. 

"Frank?" Gerard asked uncertainly through his sobs. 

"Yeah its me, sweetie, what happened? What happened to your hands?" 

"I just wanted to walk downstairs and have a cup of coffee... but I kept falling over things and I can't... I can't..." Gerard wailed. 

"Well what happened to your walking stick?" Mikey asked as he prepared something to wrap Gerard's hands with. 

"I don't know where it is..." Gerard cried. "I can't find it...."

Frank sighed, "Well where is Lindsey?" 

Gerard cried harder and Frank and Mikey got the message. Mikey had been afraid of this happening, although he hadn't dared to express the concern. It would seem his and Frank's surprise stay couldn't have come at a better time. 

~

"YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING CARE OF HIM!" 

Frank heard Mikey yell into the phone for what seemed like the fifth time. He was unpacking his things in the guest room while he listened to an angry Mikey have a screaming bout with Lindsey via phone call next to him. 

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT YOU HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT, HE TOOK CARE OF YOU FOR YEARS AND YOU JUST FUCKING ABANDON HIM LIKE THAT?!? FUCK YOU!"

Frank flinched. Mikey was always a mellow person. They didn't see him lose control very often. But whenever he did, he was harsh. You know what they say about the quiet ones, Frank figured. He could understand where Mikey was coming from though. He himself was quite disappointed in Lindsey. Gerard had been such a good husband over the years, he didn't deserve this. 

Yet that was one of the hardest things of being a rockstar: You never know who your real friends are. People could be so convincing, yet once what makes you famous is gone, you're nothing to them. And it was true, it was a strong possibility that Gerard would never be able to be his old rockstar self again. That alone was bad enough, but having to lose everything that came with it….Frank had to let Gerard know he wasn't going to lose him. 

He folded the last of his jeans into the bottom bedside drawer and left the room, last hearing Mikey yelling something about being a gold digger. They had helped Gerard back into his bedroom, and told him to stay on the bed until they found his cane. Frank knew how much he hated it, being told what to do. But what choice did they have? It was for his own safety.

Frank entered Gerard's bedroom. Gerard was rocking back and forth in frustration, cross legged on the bed. Frank could tell he was crying yet again. He held a sketchbook in his hands and a pencil over it. Pages of it had been ripped out and scattered around him. Frank picked one up and saw nothing but random scribbles. It took him a while to realize that Gerard was trying to draw. 

It was Frank's turn to hold back tears. It hadn't occurred to him that his blindness would mean he might no longer be able to sketch. And art was his world. He could no longer see his favorite masterpieces. He couldn't imagine Gerard without his love for art. 

Frank stood there for a while, staring at Gerard. He didn't think Gerard had heard his presence. It almost occurred to him to just turn back and leave. There was nothing he could do, and the sight in front of him was too heartbreaking to bear. Frank shook his head and stepped forward. 

Gerard's whimpering quelled. Frank knew he had heard him. Frank walked to the side of the bed and sat on it, beside Gerard. Suddenly Gerard was very quiet, and he drew his breaths shaky and erratic. Frank said nothing and placed a hand on Gerard's arm. Gerard jumped a little, but did not pull away. Frank could feel he was extremely tense. Frank advanced further and wrapped another arm around Gerard. 

Gerard could feel arms encircling him. He had felt these arms before, and he knew they were Frank's. He just had no idea what Frank was doing. He could feel Frank sitting slightly behind him. His breath was gently lapping his neck. His arms were around Gerard, his hands moving slowly down Gerard's arms. Almost caressing. Frank stopped when his hands rested atop Gerard's hands, and Frank gripped them. 

Frank's face nuzzled Gerard's neck and Frank kissed him lightly on it. Gerard tensed even more. 

"Shh..." said Frank "..just relax. Let me guide you." 

Gerard tried to do as he was told. Suddenly, he felt Frank maneuver Gerard's hand that held the pencil, and he felt it hit paper. The sketchbook. Frank began guiding Gerard's hand, making it do all these twists and turns on the paper. Gerard was perplexed, and wished he could see so badly what Frank was doing. It seemed to take forever. But as it went on, Gerard managed to relax more and more in Frank's arms. For once in weeks, he felt safe. Nothing could hurt him here. 

Gerard felt Frank relinquish his hand finally. Gerard felt excited to know what he had created, even though he knew he could never see it. He felt Frank move around, and heard the tearing of paper. Gerard figured he was ripping it out of the sketchbook. 

"What is it?" Gerard asked, unable to contain himself. 

"It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." Frank told him.

"Well... what's that?" 

"You'll know eventually. You did amazing." 

"I didn't do anything." Gerard frowned "I can't do anything." 

"Don't say that. You did this, and you'll do more. We'll do this again soon. I need to go help Mikey look for your cane." 

Frank kissed Gerard on the forehead. The warmth of Frank’s body heat was pulled away. Gerard then heard footsteps and the sound of the door closing. Gerard gripped around for his sketchbook and pencil. He put the pencil to the paper and his hands tried to retrace the steps they had made when they were in Frankie's.


	4. Clean Me Off

The boys trudged through the following week awkwardly. It had been strange, having to re-teach Gerard extraordinarily simple tasks. It was easy to forget just how many daily activities required sight. They were amazed that Gerard had lasted on his own for more than two days. They planned on paying for a professional to teach him braille, but in the meantime they had to cope.

It also soon became clear that Gerard hadn't showered since he had been out of the hospital. Whether he was afraid he couldn't do it without vision or if he was uncomfortable at being exposed again, they weren't sure. However this obviously had to change. 

Frank felt the itch to argue when Mikey automatically assumed he'd be the one to do it. Frank imagined it, being in the shower with Gerard. Rubbing sweet scented shampoo throughout his long locks. Scrubbing soap all over his pale body. However these desires weren't exactly one's he could felt he could comfortably express to Mikey, so he kept his mouth shut. He doubted Mikey would take well to him implying anything sexual about Gerard, seeing as he had just been raped. Hell, Frank felt like a bad person for just thinking about it. And that's not even counting how Gerard would feel about such thoughts. 

"So you're gonna get Gerard's thing?"

"What?" Frank looked wide eyed at Mikey, who had interrupted his train of thought.

"I said, so you're gonna get Gerard's things?" Mikey repeated.

"Oh. Right. Yeah, I am." Frank blushed as he put on his jacket and prepared to leave. 

Frank and Mikey had thought it would be a good idea to get some supplies for Gerard. Supplies that would be useful in his situation. Perhaps some entertaining things that did not require vision. They didn't feel that Gerard should be left alone, so Frank had volunteered to go while Mikey stayed behind. 

They figured they could surprise Gerard this way, since the last surprise didn't turn out quite how they expected. 

~

"Okay, showering should be easy..." Mikey tried to instruct his brother. Gerard stood in front of him, stripped down to blue swim trunks, which Mikey had agreed to let him keep on. Mikey could tell how awkward Gerard felt, and Mikey was trying to keep a casual tone to assure him everything was fine. Mikey had even gone to the extent of stripping down to his own boxers, to show Gerard he wasn't alone. Of course Gerard couldn't see that fact, but Mikey assumed he took his word for it. "We're going to install a bar you can grab onto just in case, but really you just need to memorize where everything is." 

Mikey grabbed Gerard's hand and led him to the shower. 

"Make sure you don't go off into the right, or you'll fall over the toilet." Mikey warned as he had Gerard feel around. Mikey opened the shower door and let Gerard inside the small shower space. Mikey followed suit, closed the shower door behind them, and tried to help Gerard grip the handles for the hot and cold water. 

"This ones hot, see?" Mikey guided Gerard's hand and helped him turn the knob, and a slight on pour of hot water came upon them. "You turn it left to make it hotter, and right to make it less hot." Mikey guided Gerard's hand slowly, as to not send them into some sudden, violent temperature of hot water. 

"I know how to work my own shower Mikes." Gerard said rather crossly.

He had Gerard turn off the hot water, and said, "Fine. Now you try it."

Gerard gripped around to find the hot water knob again. Mikey smiled as he found it correctly, but the grin was wiped off his face when he saw how far Gerard turned it. 

"AGH!" Gerard screamed as extremely hot water burned onto him, and in his panic he fell on the floor of the shower, landing roughly on his bottom. Mikey scrambled to turn it off, and he bent down to gather Gerard. 

Gerard had started sobbing yet again, and he was gripping bunches of his hair in his anger. 

"It's so fucking frustrating Mikes... I can't fucking do this...." Gerard outbursted. "I can't fucking do anything, I'm s-s-so sorry Mikey..." 

"No Gerard, it's not your fault, don't apologize..." Mikey reassured him as he picked him up. Once he got Gerard on his feet again, he saw Gee's swim trucks had gone down quite a bit. Mikey moved to readjust them, but when he saw an odd looking part of his skin, he felt the need to investigate. Gerard tensed as Mikey pulled down his swim trunks just a bit more. What Mikey saw made him want to vomit.

Gerard's scar from when his attacker stabbed him looked even more disturbing than when the wound was open. It wasn't bleeding, but just mangled looking. Observing his pelvic area more, it seemed a lot of the trauma hadn't gone down. The entire area was a strange shade of purple, blue, and grey. A strong surge of anger went through him towards the man who did this to his sweet, sensitive brother. So many horrible people in the world, and this monster had to choose him? Not that anyone deserved to have this happen, but Gerard would certainly the last on a list if anyone who did. In Mikey's opinion, anyway. 

Mikey had been tracing his fingers around his pelvis, simply transfixed by the horror of it. It was somehow like looking at everything that was wrong with the world. 

"Mikey...?" Gerard whimpered. 

"Sorry." Mikey withdrew his hand quickly, "I just.... I fucking can't believe what he did to you."

"You think I'm ugly now?" Gerard nearly whispered, more tears pouring down his face. 

"No! No no no!" Mikey grabbed his brother and pulled him into a tight, wet, reassuring embrace. Gerard wrapped his arms around Mikey, sobbing into his shoulder. Mikey stroked a hand through Gerard's hair. "You're beautiful Gerard. You're beautiful." 

Mikey didn't care what had to happen --- the bastard who did this was going to pay. 

~

Frank strolled along the downtown Los Angeles. His sunglasses didn't do much to conceal him, and he kept getting hassled for autographs and pictures. Usually he didn't mind, but he was in need of a nice walk to clear his head. He had picked up a few things so far, mostly audio books. It was then he spotted something that he couldn't resist going into --- an art store. 

He walked inside, taking in everything around him. He had been here before, it was mostly a place where college students went to get supplies for their classes. But they had quality merchandise none the less. He looked at a few different sketchbooks. He doubted they had anything for the blind. 

And then he found it. In the center of the room just staring at him. A huge painting canvas. It called to him, allured him. It told him that: perhaps Gerard might struggle with something as skilled as sketching, but painting was another story. 

Frank turned to the cashier ready to make his purchase.


	5. Smile, Even If It Hurts.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray has some news. Frank shows Gerard that not all is lost.

Gerard found himself in a dark room. He was naked and cold. He didn't know where he was. He continued to walk, until a mirror came up to him. Finally, he was able to see himself. Something grotesque looking stared back at him. His eyeballs were missing from its sockets. He was covered in blood. It seeped down from between his legs. He heard a door open, and he was overcome with fear. His attacker had come for him. 

Mikey lay awake next to Gerard. Gerard was asleep, but he was talking. It sounded as though he was asking for Lindsey. Gerard's moans and whimpers increased, and Mikey began to realize that whatever he was dreaming of wasn't pleasant. Mikey sighed and turned over. He grabbed Gerard by the arm and tried to shake him awake. 

"No.. please stop..." Gerard muttered. Mikey shook him harder. Gerard only got louder. 

"NO PLEASE! I'LL DO ANYTHING! PLEASE JUST FUCKING STOP!" He screamed. Mikey started to panic. He tried slapping Gerard across the face a little.

"IT HURTS! IT HURTS!" Gerard continued to scream.

"GERARD! WAKE UP GERARD!" Mikey screamed at him while he shook him violently. Gerard started bawling hysterically. 

"Why are you doing this to me? Why?" he cried. 

It was then Mikey figured out that Gerard was awake, he just wasn't sure how long he had been. Mikey frowned and pulled Gerard to him. 

"It's okay Gerard. No one's going to hurt you now." he told his brother.

"T-that's what she told me the night we got married." Gerard said very quietly.

Mikey didn't know how to respond to that. Instead he just held Gerard tighter, hoping that he could make Gerard see that HIS word was more than empty promises. But that was the problem wasn't it? Gerard couldn't see. He couldn't see anything at all. 

~

Frank led Gerard by the hand into the basement. It really wasn't a ideal place to do this, but Frank had found no other place that the canvas would fit. So this would have to do for now. 

"Where are we going, Frankie?" Gerard asked. 

"You'll ---" Frank had to refrain himself from using the word 'see' and paused before he came up with "You'll know soon enough." 

They reached it finally, and he took Gerard's hand and held it against the paper. Gerard smiled, and Frank knew he knew what it was. 

"A paint canvas." Gerard acknowledged. 

"I got it for you yesterday while I was out. And here..." 

Frank went through his bag and pulled out an assortment of paints. He opened a red one and shoved it under Gerard's nose. Gerard flinched a little at the strong stench it emitted. 

"Cherry?" 

"Yep, scented paint. So you know which color your using!" Frank grinned. Frank put down the paints on a ledge that the canvas offered. He handed Gerard a paintbrush and said "Here, try it."

He positioned Gerard and helped Gerard dip the paintbrush into the paint. He let go and waited with baited breath, wondering if this was going to work. Gerard lifted his arm and poked at the paper with the paintbrush daintily, as if afraid he was going to hurt it. 

"Did I do it right?" Gerard asked Frank.

"Yeah! Perfect! Now just keep doing that, I'll get you a chair." 

Gerard heard Frank rummaging around the room. He couldn't help but smile at the effort Frank was putting forward. It was true that Gerard had been very afraid he could no longer be the artist that he loved being. That he had been robbed of not only his sight but his passion. Yet here Frank was, giving him hope that maybe things aren't so bad after all. He'd have to figure out a way to show his gratitude, Gerard thought as he painted more strokes on the paper.

~

Gerard, Mikey, and Frank were having lunch. Mikey had made them a lovely meal. They were talking of some of their friends in Jersey. They were careful not to talk about certain things like movies they were looking forward to. It was very difficult, considering the new Harry Potter film was coming up, and they were all excited about it. Frank had felt very upset when he realized Gerard wouldn't be able to see it, as it was the anticipated last film. But as far as avoiding the subject went, they had managed to get by so far. 

Gerard decided he wanted more rice halfway through the meal. Frank and Mikey seemed like they were fully enjoying their conversation, and he didn't want to bother them. Making up his mind, he got up and went over to the stove. He grabbed around for the pan of rice. Finally, he found the handle. It scalded him. He yelped and fell back. And suddenly something thick and boiling hot splashed onto him. He screamed. 

He heard footsteps running towards him, and hands pulling him away. Then suddenly the hands grabbed at his shirt and tried to lift it up. Gerard stumbled backwards, trying to get away from this thing that was trying to strip him of his clothing. He felt himself fall to the ground. The hands grabbed him again and Gerard felt his leg hurting for some reason. 

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Gerard spat at it. 

"Gerard! It's me, Frank! You spilled soup all over yourself, I'm just trying to get it off you before it burns you!" Frank's voice sounded desperate. 

Gerard suddenly felt immensely embarrassed at the way he had acted. He ceased movement and allowed Frank to remove his shirt and help him up. Frank said nothing more and led him to a chair. He could hear Frank go to get something, and then he felt something cold. A wet towel was being wiped against his skin. Gerard felt even more embarrassed at the idea of being cleaned, like some sort of toddler. He was a grown man, and someone's father. Wasn't he supposed to be doing this for someone else? Then again, if the last few minutes proved anything, it was that he just couldn't do anything right. Not anymore. He felt like an invalid.  
More footsteps were heard, and Gerard could tell it was Mikey. Mikey shuffled his feet. 

"Is he okay?" he heard Mikey ask. 

"Yeah I think so." said Frank. "There's a bit of redness but I don't think its anything serious."

"I cleaned up the soup. I think he was trying to get some and he just knocked it over..."

"I'M RIGHT FUCKING HERE!" Gerard screeched, immensely annoyed that they were talking about him as though he wasn't in the room. Mikey and Frank fell silent for a moment. 

"We're sorry, Gee." said Frank. "We're just concerned, that's all."

"Well if you're concerned, you could just directly ask me how I am." Gerard grumbled. He pushed Frank's hand away jumped off the chair. He groped around for his cane, but when he couldn't find it he tried to storm off on his own. It wasn't long before he tripped over something and found himself hitting the ground once again. This time it was Mikey who picked him up. 

"Fuck!" Gerard yelled "I can't fucking do anything anymore! Someone needs to just fucking kill me now! I can't live like this!" 

Suddenly Gerard found himself being smacked on the head. Frank's voice yelled at him "Hey! Don't you ever fucking say that! Whatever happened to I am not afraid to keep on living, huh? We're willing to do anything for you, but you can't give up on us Gerard, you can't!" 

Gerard was placed into a chair again where he buried his face in his hands. Mikey's voice came next, in a much more calming tone.

"It'll be alright Gerard, we just need to remodel the house a bit, I think. Make it more blind friendly, for lack of a better word. Reposition things so there's less room for accidents."

"Yeah," Frank chimed in "We can reorganize the cupboards so you know where everything is. And we can get new bars in different places so you have something to hold on to."

"We should probably do something about the stair case." said Mikey. The vibration of a cell phone went off and Mikey remarked that he should get that. As he heard footsteps walking away, he felt Frank sling an arm around his shoulders. 

"You'll be okay, Gerard." Frank said softly.

"As long as you stick around Frank...." Gerard answered. 

"I'd never leave you." 

After a couple of minutes, Mikey's footsteps returned. 

"Guys!" he said excitedly "I just got off the phone with Ray! He says he can't come for another week!"

"Why do you sound so happy about that?" Frank chuckled. 

"He can't come because Christa's pregnant! They're going to have their first child!" 

"Oh my god!" Frank and Gerard said simultaneously. Gerard felt himself grin, and Frank emitted a weird squeeing noise. 

"We're going to have a new addition to the My Chemical Romance family! That's fucking awesome!" Frank said with glee. "This calls for a fucking epic celebration!"

Gerard suddenly felt a conflict of emotion. His heart had swelled with happiness for Ray, but at Frank's comment it broke when he remembered his own baby girl, Bandit. He missed her so much. Yet Gerard kept the massive grin on his face. He figured he'd just cry later.


	6. Swing To Safety

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Are we even a band anymore?"

The next week went on a bit better. Mikey was taking care of renovations being done to the house. He wanted handle bars installed everywhere. Frank was taking care of smaller things. One of them being reorganizing the pill bottles into sections so Gerard didn't get them confused. Now that would be a nightmare. He would also lead Gerard down to the basement whenever he could so he could paint. Frank had told him not to go down there alone because the basement involved a long staircase at its entry, and many cluttered items on the floor. They didn't need another incident. 

So when Frank came home one day to find the basement door open a little, he panicked. He ran down the steps and heard voices before he could see what was going on.

"Hold still!" came Gerard's voice.

"Ow, Gee, that's my eye!" came Mikey's. 

Frank turned the corner and the sight that met him made him laugh. Gerard was pawing at Mikey's face while Mikey sat on a stool next to the canvas. It was easy to figure out that Gerard was trying to "see" Mikey by feeling him, much to Mikey's discomfort. On the canvas was a very sloppy attempt to paint Mikey's face. One would barely be able to tell really, as it just looked like a gathering of scribbles, but Frank knew. 

Frank looked at Mikey apologetically and Mikey glared. Of course, Mikey could just walk out and Gerard wouldn't have been able to do much about it. Yet Frank knew that Mikey wouldn't do that to Gerard. Mikey knew it made Gerard happy, so he grit his teeth and bared it. Whatever works. 

"How does it look?" Gerard asked. 

"It's gorgeous!" giggled Frank. "Just one more thing." He saw Gerard jump a little and he flushed as he became suddenly aware of Frank's presence. Frank grabbed Gerard's hand and helped him paint a large, curly moustache onto the picture. 

"There we go." Frank snickered. Gerard laughed too. And in the corner of his eye, Frank saw Mikey give a begrudging grin. 

~

"I wanna go out." 

"No, Gerard." 

Gerard pouted at Mikey as they sat around the dinner table. Gerard had been trying to persuade Mikey to take him out somewhere, anywhere. He had been cooped up in the house for way too long. Mikey understood the way his brother felt, but he just didn't feel it was the right time. 

"Why not?" Gerard whined. 

"A lot of reasons. What if someone sees you?"

"Oh. You're embarrassed." Gerard mumbled. 

"No! Of course not Gee. I will never be embarrassed of you. But think about the public. If they see what happened to you, they'll never leave us alone about it! We can't deal with press right now Gerard. For the sake of our band too." Mikey tried to convince him. 

That wasn't all of it. There had been many incidents before when fangirls have jumped, bitten, and scratched at all of them. A few fan boys too. You never know what people might try to do. And these little random fan attacks often got sexual. Grabbing of the ass, package, etc. Mikey didn't think Gerard would be able to handle something like that. Mikey was only trying to protect Gerard. Gerard would just have to understand. 

Gerard sulked in his chair angrily, and Frank watched the exchange with interest over his salad. 

"Are we even a band anymore?" Gerard braved the question. That was when Frank and Mikey stopped eating. No one knew how to answer this, but the silence was unnerving. No one had dared touched on this subject since the incident. Frank offered an answer. 

"Sure we are, Gerard." he said with resounding uncertainty.

Gerard waited in silence for Mikey to say something. It took him two minutes to realize Mikey had left the room. 

~

It was 3 AM. Frank knew what he was doing was wrong. He knew all the things that could go wrong with it. He knew Mikey would murder him if he found out, which wasn't that unlikely. But he felt he had to do it. Frank crept into Gerard's bedroom and tip toed to the bed. He placed a hand on Gerard gently. The last thing he wanted to do was scare him into a screaming fit and wake up Mikey. To his immense relief, Gerard's iris-less eyes fluttered open and Frank spoke quickly as he could before Gerard came to his senses. 

"Gee." he whispered "Its Frank. Come with me. Quietly." 

Frank took Gerard's hand and Gerard tried to move out of the bed as softly as he could. Frank somewhat pressed Gerard to him as he reached for Gee's cane and gave it to him. Gerard followed Frank silently out of the door. 

Gerard wondered where this was going. He wasn't suspicious, he trusted Frank. But his curiosity was itching at him. They walked for a while and Gerard was surprised to hear the sound of the locks turning on his front door. He wanted to ask, but he was afraid to make any sort of noise. Frank squeezed his hand tighter, and they stepped forward.

Gerard felt air. Sweet, sweet air. He was finally outside. He smiled. He inhaled deeply, taking it all in. He could hear the crickets. They sounded beautiful to his ears. Frank kept pulling him forward. He used his cane to navigate the walkway in front of his house. 

They waked further and further. It had to have been at least 15 minutes of walking. Gerard was starting to get impatient. Just when he was ready to say something, Frank finally stopped him. Frank grabbed him by the waist and spun him around. 

"Sit." Frank said. 

"On what?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then sit." 

Gerard did as he was told, letting his bottom plop down on god knows what. Sure enough he felt himself land on a rubbery surface. It wobbled, but Frank kept a strong hold on Gerard's waist. After throwing down his cane, Gerard felt around the sides of it. It was a swing. Frank must have taken them to the park a few minutes away.

"Whenever my daughters are down," Frank began "they swing on the swing set and everything is better. Not that I'm saying you're 3, or anything. I know how upset you are about not being able to go out. And I get where you're coming from. But your brother also has a point. We can't risk anything right now. So... this is the best I can do for you." 

Gerard smiled and hoped Frank saw it. "It's perfect, Frankie." 

"Then it's worth it." Frank replied. Gerard heard Frank get on the swing next to him. Gerard gripped the chains, prepared to project himself, and launched himself forward. He giggled a little. The next time he hit the ground, he aimed for higher. Higher and higher he went. The cold, night air felt amazing against his skin. It filled his lungs, and he felt like he could breathe again for the first time in weeks. He loved the sensation of his own hair whipping against his face. He only wished he could see the heavens that he flew towards, or the angel next to him that guided him there. 

~

Frank awoke the next morning and checked the time. It was already 11 AM, far later than he was used to waking up. He stretched and yawned. He remembered the night before. Seeing Gerard as happy as he was was just amazing. Like he had figured before, whatever works. 

When he saw Gerard off, as far as he knew, Mikey had still been asleep. They had gotten away with it. Still he felt a bit nervous going into the rest of the house and seeing Mikey, simply based on the fact that he had gone behind his back. But its not like he had done anything harmful to Gee. If anything, Frank felt as though he was just trying to help Gerard keep his sanity. Still, he felt already hungry, so he forced himself off of the bed anyway. 

Sure enough, when he reached the kitchen, Mikey was sitting at the breakfast table gripping a mug of coffee. Yet Frank could immediately tell there was something wrong with the younger Way. He looked immensely shaken. White as a ghost. His hands were trembling. Frank hurried forward.

"Mikey, what's the matter? Where's Gee?" 

"H - he's in our room." Mikey squeaked. 

"Well what's wrong? Why do you look so ---rattled?" 

Mikey cleared his throat. He closed his eyes and shook his head a little, as though trying to gather himself. He took another sip of coffee. 

"You... um... you remember those photos the hospital took of Gerard's injuries? For the rape examination?"

"Yeah?" 

"They... um... they.... they leaked on the internet. All of them." 

"WHAT?!?" Frank roared. He was suddenly flooded with a powerful mixture of emotion, none of them good. "Well, did we get them taken down?!? Who the FUCK posted that shit?!? I'll fucking murder them, Mikes!"

"Yeah, we got the original posts taken down. But it's spread across the net like wildfire. Online news sites already got them. People are eating it up. It's fucking disgusting." 

Frank felt nauseated himself. He slowly took a seat and tried to refrain from vomiting. 

Mikey looked up at Frank with tear filled eyes and slowly shook his head. 

"You can't tell Gerard. You can't..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: God, this is such a Lifetime movie lmao


	7. A Day At The Park

Mikey and Frank had a difficult time keeping the press off their backs in the following weeks. Mikey had gone into security overdrive. He answered Gerard's calls. He yelled at anyone who came to their door. He wouldn't let Gerard talk to a single outsider. 

Meanwhile, he also worked on suing everyone he possibly could. He hired an expensive lawyer. He planned to sue the entire hospital for this mishap. After thorough investigation, the leak was traced to the physician that had been in charge of Gerard's case. Some scumbag who wanted to make a few extra bucks off a juicy story. The physician had already had his medical license revoked, and was charged a large fine. But that wasn't enough for Mikey, he wanted him either jailed or killed. Frank thought Mikey was releasing the fury he had at Gerard's attacker on this man. Unfortunately the first examination had not yet yielded any results, and it was looking as though a second examination may be necessary to find Gerard's rapist. Yet no one wanted to make Gerard experience that again. 

Frank was trying to contact everyone who had the photos and ask they be removed. He knew it wasn't much use, what with Tumblr and Facebook and people downloading the personal lives of celebrities into their hardrives like it was theirs to own. He still tried his hardest to minimize the amount of people who saw it. Unfortunately this process came with Frank not only having to see the photos, but the comments that came with them. Frank lost a bit of his faith in humanity with every other one. People saying things like "emo faggot deserved it" or "too bad the guy didn't finish the job and kill the bitch off", Frank wanted to hunt them down personally. They were used to hearing the jeers and comments of those who disliked them, but this was too much. Couldn't they see that this was someone's best friend? Someone's father? Someone's brother? Someone's husband? He really might have hunted them down had it not been for his obligations to Gerard. 

Not all of the attention they got was bad. Fans sent many gifts and letters and cards to the house, all wishing Gerard well. Frank would collect them and store them away. He wished with all his heart that he could give them to Gerard, they were all so lovely. But then Gerard would know that something was wrong. Frank would still slip him some chocolates or candies if they were delivered any, and make up something about having gone to the store that day. 

Jamia and Alicia offered to come down, but Frank and Mikey both agreed it would be better if they stayed away from this disaster. They themselves could hardly leave the house without being hounded and followed by awaiting journalists. Dealing with all this, while trying to keep it a secret from Gerard --- Frank and Mikey knew they were in over their heads. And Frank had the hunch something had to give eventually. 

A happier day came when Gerard finally received the permanent prosthetics for his eyes. Well, at least for the next six years. To Gerard it was like getting a little closer to the way things used to be, and that alone made him immensely excited. He would finally have irises again, even though he'd never see them. 

Mikey helped him apply them in the bathroom. It was a slight struggle, as Gerard's eyelids tended to twitch whenever something was being done around them. But after an hour or so, it got achieved.

"...aaaaand done!" said Mikey after he put in a few eyedrops. 

Frank grinned "Aw honey, you look gorgeous." 

"Really?" Gerard smiled.

"You're even prettier than you were before." Frank reassured. He nudged Mikey.

"You look amazing Gee." Mikey piped in. 

"Thanks guys!" squealed Gerard happily. 

After that day, Gerard was able to walk around the house with his head held a bit higher. And Frank and Mikey couldn't have been more relieved. 

~

Frank and Gerard were in the basement again. Frank wasn't sure what Gerard was trying to paint this time, but he waited patiently to find out. Something with a lot of black. He watched Gerard sniff at the paint trying to choose his colors. Frank had to intervene a few times to stop Gerard from getting paint all over his nose. 

After an hour, Frank finally saw it. Gerard was trying to paint a microphone on a stand. He got a couple of times to help Gerard out, but Gerard did pretty well on his own. In the meantime Frank read one of his new books. Everything was going swell until they heard a voice loudly conversing from upstairs. 

"....where is it?.....the park on Arrow Highway? Thursday? Why are you just telling us this now.....Well I wouldn't hold your breath....he isn't feeling well....Yes, I know it's Bandits birthday....trust me, he'd make it if he could.....no, he's asleep....okay well, I'll keep it in mind....." 

Frank froze. He looked at Gerard and wondered if he had heard all of that. Gerard was unmoving in front of his canvas for quite a while, and Frank was afraid he might cry again. But Gerard just kept painting seconds later, like nothing. Frank sighed and figured Gerard just hadn't been paying attention. 

He figured wrong. 

~

Gerard fumbled with his phone for a while before he heard the signal for voice command. He said the word "taxi" into some end of the phone, but he figured it must have worked as the phone responded with "now calling taxi". 

Mikey and Frank were out picking up Ray from the LAX airport, which gave him at least two hours alone. That's two hours to do a ten minute sneak out. True, he felt guilty taking advantage of the one time they had finally left him alone. But it wasn't for anything other than he needed to see his daughter. On her birthday. They would have to understand. 

He waited for the cab to get there. Once it did, it took him a while to manage to simply sit down in it. He then asked to be taken to the park Mikey had mentioned. He knew exactly where it was. Lindsey liked walking there a lot. And they drove off.

He arrived there 30 minutes later. He paid the man. In truth, he probably paid the taxi far more than he should have. He couldn't see the amount he had grabbed at home, so he had just taken a handful of the 100 dollar bills. He threw a few of them at the driver. The driver said nothing -- whether he was in shock or just rude, Gerard didn't know. 

Gerard got out of the car and used his cane to feel around. Grass. The outdoors. Fuck, it felt great. He could hear children. People. Having picnics and playing in the playground. Gerard trudged forward. He didn't care if anyone recognized him, or saw that he was now blind. He wanted to see his baby girl, and that was all he knew. His heart beat quickly at the thought that he was close to her now. 

"Bandit?" he called out "Bandit?" 

He trudged forward, repeatedly calling her name. He stumbled a few times, and had to watch his steps. Then he felt as though he had walked into a large crowd. Whispers surrounded him. Whispers were everywhere.

"Isn't that Gerard Way?"

"He was raped a few weeks ago, poor dear." 

"He's blind now?" 

Gerard was in shock. How did these people know? Had the story got out already? An overwhelming sense of humiliation washed over him. It was like being exposed all over again. He stood there in the crowd, flushed and awkward, as others peered at him curiously. He could hear the sounds of more footsteps gathering around to see him. 

Tears formed in his eyes, but he tried to focus on the task at hand. He called for Bandit again and walked forward. He moved people aside. He needed to find her. 

"Bandit?" he called out again. 

And finally, a voice squeaked nearby him. "Daddy!" 

Gerard managed to smile and he kneeled down to meet her. He wasn't sure exactly where Bandit was, but she usually did know to come to him when he was kneeling down. He brought down his cane, expecting his little girl to be running into his arms at any moment. 

Instead, he found himself being pulled up by the hair roughly. His heart jumped to his throat as he remembered the sensation. 

"The fuck are you doing?" came a familiar voice. Lindsey. Lindsey's angry voice. 

"It's Bandit's birthday..." was all he answered. 

"You shouldn't fucking be here Gerard! You wanna embarrass Bandit more than you already have?" she hissed. 

"I..." 

"No, no excuses Gerard! Do you have any idea what people have been saying about you? You need to stay away from my daughter!"

"She's my daughter too..." Gerard hissed back. 

"Not when you're a liability for her to get teased and mocked! She doesn't need that, and she doesn't need you! If you know what's best for her, you'll just leave her AND me alone!" Lindsey yelled. 

Gerard fell silent. Was Lindsey right? Was he hurting Bandit by being near her? He had only really wanted to see her for a few minutes. But he could hear the whispering increasing around them. It was his baby's birthday. He shouldn't ruin it with his deformity. 

"Please." he told Lindsey. "Just give this to her for me, and tell her I love her?" 

He reached in his pocket and extended a small stuffed dinosaur. He felt Lindsey's hand take it from him. Sulking his shoulders in defeat, he turned around and left without another word.

As he tried to get through the crowd he had gathered, one man grabbed him by the shoulders. 

"Where you going, pretty eyes?" he laughed as he cupped at Gerard's package. Gerard's heart pounded. 'No, no, no this can't be happening again...' he panicked.

And suddenly, off in the distance, he heard his name being called. He heard footsteps running toward them. Then felt friction pull him back, and the man who had held him let out a pained cry. Then hands clamped around him. Warmer hands. Frank's hands. 

"Fucking bastard!" Mikey shrieked at the man that had been touching Gerard. 

Frank gripped a rattled Gee while he looked upon the scene. Mikey had punched the guy in the face, knocking him out onto the floor. Many other people watched around them, one of them being Lindsey who was watching from afar. Ray was standing behind them in utter shock.

Mikey then turned to Gerard with a look of absolute rage on his face. “GERARD, WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING?” he screamed at him.

“I just wanted to see my daughter…” Gerard argued, although clearly intimidated. 

“AND LOOK WHAT FUCKING HAPPENS! WE’VE DONE SO FUCKING MUCH FOR YOU, AND WE TRUST YOU FOR ONE FUCKING HOUR AND YOU DISOBEY THE ONE GOD DAMN RULE WE GAVE YOU! GOD DAMMIT, GERARD!”

“I WAS ONLY GOING TO BE GONE FOR A FEW MINUTES!” Gerard yelled back. 

“YEAH, AND ALL IT TOOK WAS A FEW MINUTES FOR YOU TO GET INTO TROUBLE! THANK FUCKING GOD I REALIZED YOUR STUPID FUCKING STUNT WHEN I DID, OR GOD KNOWS WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED!” Mikey shrieked.

“WHY ARE YOU SO MAD? I DON’T UNDERSTAND!” Gerard’s voice cracked, he sounded on the verge of tears. Then a female voice rammed into the screaming match.

“GERARD TAKE THIS SOMEWHERE ELSE! GOD YOU CAN’T GO ONE FUCKING DAY WITHOUT RUINING SOMEONE’S LIFE, CAN YOU?” Lindsey screamed at Gerard. Mikey glared at her, seeming ready to let her have it as well. 

“STOP YELLING AT HIM!” Frank finally bellowed at them both. Lindsey and Mikey both ceased talking, and an awkward silence fell on the scene. What seemed to be the entire park was staring at them, taking in the drama. 

“Whatever.” Mikey shook his head at turned back, motioning Frank to follow. Frank gripped Gerard’s now trembling hands and helped him walk forward. Without another word, they got into the car and drove home.

~

Frank was in the guest room with Gerard. Gerard wouldn’t stop crying. Frank didn’t know what to do other than embrace him and try to calm him down. What a horrible day it had been. Frank had almost wished Ray had stayed home. He felt bad for him, being pulled away from the blissful situation with his pregnant wife to this. Ray insisted it was fine. Gerard was one of his best friends, and he should be here. Yet he knew how shocked Ray was to see what they had become. 

Mikey spoke to no one since they got home. Frank had insisted Gerard stay in his room for a little while. Mostly to give Mikey some time alone to cool down, and so Gerard didn’t get in the way of that. Of course Gerard didn’t understand why Mikey was so upset. He didn’t know. He didn’t know what he and Frank had been struggling to keep from him for almost a month now. 

As Frank stroked Gerard’s hair, feeling his shirt being dampened by his tears, he just hoped this would blow over soon.


	8. The Other Senses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frank takes Gerard “out".

Gerard eventually had to return to his room, as it was the path he had most memorized. He refused to speak to Mikey. And in turn, Mikey refused to speak to him. It became a very strange relationship between the two brothers. Mikey would still hold Gerard when he had his night terrors, but Mikey noticed Gerard had become suddenly stiff and tense in his arms. And Gerard would pull away and continue to ignore him as soon as possible. It troubled Mikey more than he cared to admit. Had he pushed his brother away? He knew Gerard had wanted to see Bandit, but he had only been trying to protect him. 

One day, Mikey couldn't take it anymore. After dinner, once they were in the bedroom, he confronted Gerard. 

"I need to talk to you." he told Gerard despairingly. Gerard sat on the bed quietly, patiently as he waited for Mikey to continue. 

"I've been hiding something from you. And now I realize I shouldn't have." Mikey sighed as he sat next to Gerard. Gerard continued to be silent. 

"The reason I got so upset at you for seeing Bandit is just because... I didn't want you going out in public Gee." 

"Mikey, I don't care what they thought of me!" Gerard spoke finally "They can speculate all they -- "

"No Gerard. Its not speculation. Not anymore. " Mikey shifted uncomfortably.

"What do you mean?" Gerard asked innocently.

Mikey struggled to say it. He hated that he knew he had to. How would Gerard feel if he learned it off some bystander on the street, throwing some snide comment at him? They had come so close to that at the park. If Mikey had learned anything, it was that he could not and cannot shield Gerard forever. And he had been foolish to try. It would simply come a lot better coming from someone who loved him. Yet he knew this news would crush Gerard. Mikey didn't know how many more times he could watch his brother collapse into tears before he lost it himself. Mikey swallowed and pushed himself to do the right thing. 

"Gerard, the photos for evidence they took after the rape...the doctor who was in charge of your case gave them to some news sites for money. And they were posted on the internet. Everyone knows what happened to you. They've seen it. I'm so sorry." Mikey felt himself start to cry before he even got to see Gerard's expression. Saying it was hard enough. 

When he finally did manage to observe Gerard, he was surprised to see ---- nothing. Gerard looked emotionless. Maybe a little shocked, but other than that, nothing. Mikey waited with baited breath for an outburst or a breakdown, or at least even a question. Finally, Gerard spoke. 

"I can never go out again..." he realized.

"That's not true Gee. We just have to wait for a while. It'll blow over."

"Well how long has it been?" Gerard rasped out. 

"About a month now."

"A month?" Gerard looked at Mikey confused. 

"We…I tried to hide it from you. I'm sorry. I didn't think it was something you needed to know. I thought I could just shield you from you hearing about it. I was obviously wrong. I’m sorry Gerard. I just didn’t want to see you hurt again.” 

“This doesn’t hurt.” said Gerard. 

“What?”

“This doesn’t hurt.” Gerard repeated. “You know what hurts? I’m going to miss so much of my daughter’s life. When she comes down the steps, ready for prom in some beautiful dress, I won’t see it. I won’t see her proudly receive a degree at her graduation. I won’t see her glowing on her wedding day, or how she looks as she walks down the aisle. I won’t see the photos of any of those events. And apparently, I can’t even be there for ten fucking minutes on her fucking birthday! That’s what hurts Mikey. This doesn’t hurt because there’s nothing else for the world to take from me. Because she was all I had left to look forward to.” 

Mikey was dumbfounded as to what he was supposed to say to that. He didn’t have a child himself, so he could never really grasp the concept that Gerard was trying to relay to him. Yet if it was anything worse than the sorrow he felt for Gerard right now --- and he knew it was --- then it was immeasurably tragic. 

He looked towards the door and thought he saw a short figure peering in before it walked hurriedly away. 

~

While Gerard had taken things better than they had feared, he still became noticeably more depressed. Gerard lost interest in painting. He lost interest in anything. He lost the will to leave the house, and instead moped around that he couldn’t. Ray did his best to cheer him up, but there was not much to do about it. All the things they used to relate to each other: video games, horror movies, comic books, etc. could no longer apply to Gerard. The other guys were afraid to openly do those things with each other, as they didn’t want Gerard to feel left out. So they were stuck. 

But Frank wasn’t ready to give up. The band had been through many tough times before, and this was just another one. Sure, this one was a tad more life altering than others, but Frank was trying not to let that dampen his spirits. He believed in the band, and he believed in Gerard. 

All they needed was a little push. Gerard may have been robbed of his sight, but there were four other senses that could induce pleasure. And Frank felt intended to stimulate every single one. 

~

I. SOUND

The doorbell rang. Mikey was on the couch just next to the front door so he got up to get it. He audibly gasped when he saw who was on the other end. 

“Pedicone? What are you doing here?” 

The bald man gave him an odd look. “Frank didn’t tell you?”

“Tell me what?” Mikey asked bewildered. 

“He said we were playing a show here!” said Pedicone, and he moved aside and gestured toward the wagon attached to his SUV. James Dewees could be seen unloading several instruments. Mikey’s jaw dropped. 

That night Gerard had been shifting his hands through a large container of uncooked rice. No real reason, he merely liked the feel of it. It was cold and grainy. Frank came up behind him and he nearly jumped out of his skin. 

“Hey Gee, what 'cha up to?” 

“Rice.” Was all he answered, and gestured towards the container. 

“Umm… okay.” Frank said in a tone that implied that he worried about his sanity. He shrugged and grabbed Gerard by the shoulders. “C’mon, we have a show to do.” 

“What?” Gerard said in a tone that indicated no comprehension.

“C’mon.” Frank gave him his cane and led him away. 

They went down into the basement and Gerard wondered if they were going to paint again. Before Gerard got to mention to Frank that he was in no mood to paint, Frank sat him down. Next he felt an all too familiar instrument being shoved into his hand. 

“A mic?” he asked curiously. 

“Shh, Gee, we’re starting!” Frank hushed him. Gerard was confused beyond words. And suddenly the booming sound of guitars filled the room. Live guitars. The shock of it made Gerard’s eardrums rattle. He recognized those riffs… they were playing Our Lady Of Sorrows. Then came Frank’s voice, who proceeded to sing the all too familiar lyrics “We could be perfect one last night, and die like star-crossed lovers when we fight…”

As they continued to perform the song, Gerard tried to gather his thoughts. Were there other people here? What was happening? Was this a show? Gerard had been given a mic, was he expected to sing too? Gerard had been getting closer and closer to the idea that he would never be able to perform again. They got to the chorus. Almost as though Frank had been reading his thoughts, he felt Frank come close to him. He whispered near his ear “It’s okay Gee, its just us.” before he went into the chorus lyrics. Taking a calming breath, Gerard sang them with him. It felt like a huge burden lifted from his shoulders. Once they got to the line “…and take my fucking hand….”, Gerard felt Frank clamp his hand around his own.

“…and never be afraid again!” 

~

II. TASTE

What would a great concert be without a great meal to celebrate? That’s why Frank had spent the next day cooking every one of Gerard’s favorite dishes, with some help from Ray. Mikey was busy, they knew, with taking care of renovations and all the legal mumbo jumbo with the court case. Leaving Ray and Frank with the house to themselves. With the exception of Gerard of course, but he was taking a long nap after his tiring performance last night. It had gone over great. Mikey, Frank, Ray, and Pedicone all had cheered and clapped loudly after songs to stimulate some sense of having an audience. And Frank hoped this would go over just as well. Usually after shows, Gerard favored The Cheesecake Factory as his choice of eatery. So Frank had looked up all the Cheesecake Factory recipes he could find. 

Finally, around 8 o clock, Frank nodded in Ray’s direction while pouring the gooey macaraoni and cheese into a bowl. Ray knew this was the signal to go get Gerard. After a bit of waiting, Frank looked up to see Ray excitedly leading a yet again confused Gerard into the kitchen. Ray helped sit him down. 

“Hello, there sir.” Frank addressed Gerard. “May I get you anything to drink?” 

“Frankie…?” Gerard raised an eyebrow. 

“I repeat sir, may I get you anything to drink?” 

“Um, a rootbeer would be nice I guess. Are we having dinner? Why does it smell like the Cheesecake Factory in here?” 

Frank answered none of the questions and served Gerard his rootbeer. He had bought some as he already knew it was what Gerard was going to want. 

“And I’ll be right back to take your order.” 

Ray burst out laughing as Frank pretty much walked a circle from the kitchen and back before he went to Gerard again. 

“And have we decided what we wanted?” Frank said in a cheery voice, also trying not to laugh himself. Gerard was perplexed, but the corners of his mouth were twitching. Frank knew they were getting to him. 

“What do you recommend, waiter?” Gerard threw back, finally beginning to play along. 

“Oh, well our special today is our excellent steak, lobster, and baked potato!” Frank almost wanted to hurl saying it, considering he was a vegetarian, but he knew it got Gerard’s mouth watering. 

“Sounds great.” Gerard nodded. 

Frank proceeded to serve a pre-meal soup (tomato bisque) and some bread rolls with butter. When it came time for the main course, he served Gerard a variety of things, including the steak dish he had mentioned. Ray got a call halfway through their little charade, and Frank and Gerard even did a little banter about rude people talking loudly at restaurants. 

Then Gerard was served his desert. A sinful little slice of white chocolate raspberry truffle cheesecake. Yet another one of Gerard’s favorites. Gerard sliced into it and took his first bite. And there and then, Frank finally saw what he had been working all day to achieve – a smile.


	9. Open Your Eyes

"Hello?"

"Hey you."

"Hey Jamia-san, how's my baby doing?"

"Missing her Frank-san! And so are his other two babies! When are you coming home baby, its been months!" 

Frank sighed and peered out into the hallway from the guest room to make sure no one was listening. 

"Gerards still having a tough time..."

"Oh, I know sweetie. But so are we. And contrary to popular belief, you married me, not him..." 

"He doesn't have anyone else, Jamia...."

"He has Mikey." 

"Mikey can't stay forever, he has Alicia."

"Mikey has a lot more flexibility to stay with Gee than you do Frankie. I mean have you completely forgotten about Cherry and Lily?"

"Of course not!"

"Then you need to work something out Frank. And that something better end in you coming home ASAP." 

"...okay. I will."

"Love you."

"Love you too babe."

Frank hung up the phone and crashed into the mattress, wanting to sleep and forget everything running through his mind. 

~

III. SMELL

Rainforest. Gerard's favorite smell was rainforest-like smells. So that's why the next day, Frank Iero set out purchasing all the rainforest scented candles he could find. He spent the afternoon setting them up the bathroom. 

So when nighttime came around, Frank suggested to Gerard he follow him after dinner. Gerard agreed eagerly, perhaps already expecting he had another surprise. Frank was confused to see Mikey glaring at him a bit, but Frank knew Mikey had probably been plenty stressed lately and so he shrugged it off. 

When Gerard asked what they were doing as Frank helped him upstairs, Frank answered that they were going for a swim. He instructed Gerard to get on his swim trunks. Gerard stiffened a little, and seemed a bit disappointed. Frank worried that Gerard was still uncomfortable about the exposure of his own body. Yet 20 minutes later, Gerard appeared out of his room in blue swim trunks. Frank refrained from giggling when he saw the heavy blush on Gerard's face. 

Frank grabbed Gerard's hand once more, and he was led in the direction of the bathroom. Was Frank intending to bathe him? How awkward. He heard the door being opened, and suddenly an incredible smell filled his lungs. It smelled like a forest after a fresh rain. 

"It smells like the forest." 

"It is the forest. And we're going for a swim in the lake."

Gerard giggled. Frank helped him into the bathtub, and he could feel warmth, and bubbles wash over him. He could smell the enchanting scent the bubble bath gave off. Flowers bloomed around him. 

Frank was just about to turn and leave, when Gerard stopped him. 

"Frankie....can you help me wash my hair?"

~

IV. TOUCH

Frank was confused for a moment. He knew Gerard has been capable of washing himself so far. But, he wasn't about to deny him a request. So Frank stripped down into his boxers, and climbed into the bath with Gerard. Damn, this did feel amazing. The bathtub was also relatively narrow, so Frank had no choice but to be pretty much on top of Gerard. 

In total silence, Frank grabbed the shampoo at the rim of the tub clumsily and poured some into his hand. He reached over and ran his hands slowly through Gerard's hair, beginning to message his scalp. Gerard moaned, and Frank hoped to god that Gerard didn't feel the erection Frank was growing. 

"That feels good, Frankie..." Gerard purred as he tilted his head back from the pleasure. Frank was so tempted to suck at his exposed neck. 

'You can't...' Frank kept thinking 'You can't....', but Gerard was being of no help whatsoever. He was making those moaning noises. Those damn moaning noises that often drove him insane when they were on stage. He felt Gerard run his hands over his body, and he lightly touched his ass. Frank couldn't fucking take it anymore. 

Frank clamped his mouth around Gerard's and dove for it. Gerard was again very tense at first, but eventually relaxed as Frank explored him with his tongue. Eventually Gerard reciprocated with his tongue. After a while of making out, Frank found one moment of logic and pulled back. 

"Are you okay sweetie?" he asked softly as he stroked Gerard's face. 

"Yeah." Gerard grinned. "Get this shit out of my hair and lets take this to the bed." 

Frank smirked. There was the Gerard he knew. He helped rinse off the shampoo he had drenched Gerard's hair in just minutes ago. Once it was (mostly) out, Frank climbed out of the tub and bent down to grab Gerard. He lifted the soaking boy and carried him out into the bedroom. 

He laid Gerard down onto the bed. His fingers played with the top of his swim trunks. He looked straight at Gerard's face. Frank could not read his eyes, as they were nothing more than plastic. Yet Gerard reached up and squeezed on Frank's forearms in a way that said, "I trust you." 

And just for that moment, all Frank's worries were laid to rest. He pulled down the swim trunks. 

~

"IDIOT!" 

Frank was slammed against the wall of the laundry room, while a sneering Mikey Way hovered over him. 

"Mikey, relax okay? He wanted it to happen, I made sure that he wanted it!" 

"WELL OF COURSE HE WANTED IT! You've been fucking shrouding him in some weird fucking fantasy world for the past three days!"

"You played along!"

"Yeah, the first time was a nice idea, but dammit Frank you went too far!"

"Well not to boast or anything..." Frank huffed "But he hasn't stopped smiling for the past few hours! I mean did you see him at lunch? He was humming Mikey! Humming! The fantasy world, as you put it, is making him smile -- isn't that just what he needs?" 

"Oh yeah... and tell me Frank, WHAT do you intend to do now? Are you going to divorce Jamia? Whose going to get custody of Cherry and Lily?" Mikey asked. 

"What? What do you mean divorce? Why would I divorce Jamia?" 

"So you're staying with her."

"Well of course I am, what does that have to do with..." 

"So what are you going to about Gerard?" 

"Gerard? Nothing! It was just one time! Just to make him feel better!"

Mikey laughed bitterly. "So you fucked him with no follow up huh? Wow, Frank, I didn't think you the type for one night stands." 

Frank looked at him disbelievingly "Look, it was just like the stuff we used to do. It means nothing. Its just sex. And anyway, it's a hell of a lot better than the shit you've been doing. You're hardly even around anymore! When was the last time you even asked him if he was okay?"

Mikey looked even angrier at the fact that this was being turned around on him. 

"I have been looking for more PERMANANT solutions. Because I KNOW I can't stay here forever, and I for one want be sure that Gerard'll have a fighting chance when I do leave!" 

Frank sighed and just repeated "It meant nothing Mikey." 

"Then you better be ready to explain to him that his one moment of affection since his wife left him meant nothing. Because I doubt he sees it the same way. But you know, I'm sure he'll understand." 

Ouch. Even Frank flinched at how bad that sounded. Mikey had a coldness in his eyes that he rarely saw. It was frightening. Frank could tell that Mikey was even angrier than he was letting on. 

"Why are you being like this?" was all Frank could say. Mikey crossed his arms and sighed. 

"Because you have to go home eventually. And when that day comes, all these fantasies... these delusions you've built for him.... they're all going to come crashing down. And I'm going to be the only one he has to help him pick up the pieces. Don't you see Frank? You're not healing him. You're just setting him up to have his heart broken later. "

Without waiting for a response, Mikey turned and left. He refused to speak for the rest of the day. 

~

Mikey was wrong. Thats all Frank kept telling himself after he and Mikey had had that little talk. Mikey was just being overprotective again, right? 

He and Gerard were on the swing set on yet another early hour of the morning. Gerard was swinging to his heart's content yet again, although Frank felt as though he was the one who needed the swings tonight. 

He wanted Mikey to be wrong. But something was lurking in the corner of his mind. If Gerard did make it into more than it was, if Gerard did want to start a relationship, where did that leave Frank? He had a family to come back to. And they were getting impatient. In all honesty, if it weren't for the twins, this wouldn't be so hard. In the end, he knew he had to do whatever was right for them. 

Suddenly he felt a hand entwine his own. He looked over and saw Gerard on his swing, looking in his direction. 

"Something's wrong." Gerard said.

"What? What's wrong babe?" Frank asked worriedly. 

"You. I can't hear you doing any swinging. Is there something bothering you Frankie?" 

Frank could hear the concern dripping from his voice. He looked at his angel with red locks and sighed. How could he possibly tell him? 

...when you go, would you have the guts to say...

"No, nothing's wrong Gee."

"Good. I love you, Frankie." 

Guess he was an idiot after all.


	10. See No Evil. Hear No Evil. Speak No Evil.

Frank went to Gerard's room to go fetch him for lunch. He dragged himself there with great effort. Even after they had returned from another swinging session the night before, he hadn't been able to get any sleep. His mind was too plagued with his own troubles. Once he got there and opened the door, he saw Gerard wasn't in there. He frowned and felt a poke of worry. 

The next place he decided to check was naturally the basement. He marched down the wooden steps and felt his fear increase when he saw that several things had been knocked over from the shelves. 

"Gerard?" he called out.

"Frankie?" was what he got in response. 

Frank turned the corner and saw Gerard sitting in front of the canvas again. He was well into painting what looked like a child. Frank figured it was supposed to be Bandit. 

"What happened? Why is there stuff all over the floor?" Frank asked him. 

"Oh. I fell." Gerard shrugged casually. 

"Are you okay?" Frank pressed on. 

"I'm fine." Gerard chirped as he continued to paint. Frank came closer and grabbed Gerard face, gently turning it towards him. 

"Oh jesus." Frank said alarmed. 

There was blood seeping from Gerard's head and running down the side of his face. Gerard looked perplexed as though he wasn't sure what Frank was seeing. Frank wondered if he just didn't feel it, or if he did but he didn't care. 

"Dammit Gerard, I told you not to come down here alone!" Frank scolded him as he tried to get him back upstairs. 

"I wanted to paint. I hadn't in a while. I missed it."

"I know babe, but there's more important things! Like not bleeding to death! Just because you want to do something doesn't mean you should!" Frank sighed as he pulled Gerard up. Leading Gerard back up the staircase, Frank looked back at the clumsy portrayal of Bandit and wondered if it was really painting that Gerard was missing.

~

As Frank was cleaning Gerard up in the bathroom, Gerard chit chatted like nothing was happening. If only he could see the amount of blood, Frank thought. 

"Hey Frankie." Gerard said suddenly, "You know what else I want that I shouldn't do?" 

Frank waited for the answer, confused. Gerard grabbed Frank's pelvic area, although Frank figured he was probably reaching for his penis based on his hand was cupped. 

"Gerard...I don't think we should...." 

Gee frowned, "Why not? It would make me feel all better.". Gerard smirked seductively before reaching up for a kiss. 

And yet again Frank found himself thinking, 'You can't....you can't....Frank god dammit, don't do this to yourself... don't do this to him....but those lips... those soft baby lips... and the way his hand is near your crotch right now....he wants you....'

Frank felt his knees buckle as he gave in, coming at Gerard with full force. Gerard wrestled with his tongue aggressively, hungrily. Gerard moaned and Frank wanted him. He wanted every inch of him. He lifted Gerard's shirt and lowered himself to suck at his nipple. He pulled Gerard's pants down just a bit and saw it. The scar. The ugly reminder of what started this whole thing.

"I can't." Frank backed away suddenly. 

"What?" Gerard asked confused, still basking in the heat of the moment.

"I can't....I... this is wrong.... Gerard, I need to talk to you." Frank sighed finally. 

"Why? Did I do something wrong?" Gerard frowned. 

"No...Gee...are you crying?" Frank looked at Gerard in disbelief. His bottom lip was quivering. Why would he be crying already?

"The day she left me...she said the same thing.... with that same sigh..." Gerard almost sounded as though he laughed a little. 

Frank didn't know what to do. God, how could he say it now? Wasn't it just not that long ago when he told Gerard he would never leave him? It had seemed like such an easy task back then. What had changed?

"I miss my family..." Gerard said in what sounded like half a whisper.

That's right. Frank missed his too. Gerard was depressed because he could no longer be there for his daughter. He had no choice. He was blind. Frank had a choice. How would Cherry and Lily feel if he didn't make the right one?

~

Dinner was almost finished when Mikey finally came home. Ray greeted him as Ray was the only one really on speaking terms with Mikey. Frank wasn't talking to him at all, and Gerard was still weird with him about the incident at the park. Yet Frank still couldn't help but stare at the grinning, satisfied expression of the younger Way as he strutted through the door. 

"Marshall Lhors." he said as he set down a glass on the table. 

"What?" Frank, Ray, and Gerard all responded in unison.

"Marshall Lhors is the name of Gerard's attacker." Mikey announced.

Frank grabbed Gerard's hand underneath the table and squeezed it. 

"The search is over." Mikey smirked. "We got him."

While it hardly meant the ordeal was over, a celebration was had that night. All everyone's other troubles were forgotten. Although Gerard seemed more awkward than happy, as he received hugs from his friends and band mates. Ray ran to the store to get them some celebratory drinks. Frank brought out all his favorite albums and blasted them as loud as he could. And that night, before they went to bed, Mikey read Gerard's favorite issue of The Crow to him before he fell asleep, peaceful at last.


	11. Always Know.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sketch.

Two days later, Mikey came home after an entire day of errands. He was ready to finally get to relax, given that Gerard didn't need anything. He unlocked the door and opened it. Walking into the living room and putting down some grocery bags, he didn't quite notice what was sitting patiently at the center of the room. When he did, he had to do a double take. 

It was a dog. A beautiful golden retriever. It had a leash on it, with somewhat of a saddle around it's back. Mikey read "The Seeing Eye" on it, and "Guide dog Lucy" in small print underneath that. The second thing Mikey noticed was that it had a note in its mouth, and it seemed to be waiting for Mikey to grab it. Mikey snatched it from her, and she watched him as he read it. 

All it said was: "A more permanent solution."

Frank. Mikey quickly dashed off to Frank's room. He should have known Frank was behind this from the moment he saw there was a dog in the house to begin with. He opened the door to Frank's room, and had to do yet another double take. 

It was empty.

All of Frank's things had been neatly cleared out. Frank had up and left. 

Mikey's immediate thought after that was Gerard. So he went just down the hall to his and Gerard's room. He opened the door to find Gerard sitting on the bed playing with some sort of rubber stretchy ball that was supposed to resemble a duck. Gerard's head snapped up at the sound of the door opening.

"Frankie?" he asked hopefully.

~

13 YEARS LATER. 

Gerard Way's funeral was coming to a close. People had already left. Her mother wanted to leave. But Bandit Way felt that she was still needed here. For what, she didn't know. All the duties had already been fulfilled. 

She was just walking around the grassy gravesite aimlessly sulking when a man approached her. Slightly stout.Big green eyes.Tattoos all over. Bandit recognized this man to be one of her father’s former band mates. While she stayed in contact with Uncle Ray and Uncle Mikey, this was the one she never really spoke to. Yet from what she understood, he was the one who had shunned himself from everyone else. 

“Bandit.” he addressed her once he came up to her. He held out his hand for her to shake. “Frank Iero.”

“Yes, I know who you are.” She said with a small smile, not taking the hand.

“I’m…ah… sorry about your loss.” 

“Yes, it’s very difficult….” Bandit said awkwardly. She honestly wasn’t sure how difficult it was. On one hand, she never really knew her father. On the other hand, maybe that’s what made it difficult. Any chance she had to know him personally was gone, and all she had left was music videos and documentaries. She had wanted to know him. From what she heard, her father loved her very much. 

“Your father meant a great deal to me.” Frank nodded. 

“Really?” Bandit raised an eyebrow. “Uncle Mikey says you broke his heart and ran off like a spineless coward.” 

She was surprised to see Mr. Iero laugh a hearty laugh at that. “Yeah, Uncle Mikey would say that. I guess I won’t deny it. Then again, I can say the same for your mother.”

Bandit flinched at that. Yet she totally believed it. 

“I did --- I do love your father though. Very, very much.”

“How do you love someone, but break their heart?”

Frank looked at her. He didn’t seem offended at the remark, only thoughtful. He seemed to be deciding something. Finally he said “C’mon, I have something to show you. It’s about your dad. ”

Bandit looked behind her. Her mother was standing there, watching them. Should she just go off without asking? Her mother was most of the reason she didn’t get to know her father before he died of end stage lung cancer. Her mother had kept her away from her father. She said she had been protecting her. From what, Bandit still didn’t understand. She had known her father’s story. And it didn’t make her respect him any less. She explained this to her mother, and she simply dismissed her. 

Her father had made a last request to see Bandit before his death. Her mother had denied the request. While Bandit was forced to remain civil with her mother as she was her caretaker, she didn’t know if she could ever forgive her for that. Especially not now.And she knew she was not the only one. Uncle Mikey had glared daggers at her mother for even daring to show up at his funeral. Her father’s death had been hardest on him. Bandit heard he had taken his last breath while cradled in Uncle Mikey’s arms. 

Bandit wasn’t sure if her mom would let her, but she didn’t want to pass up yet another chance to gain more knowledge of her father. Bandit had been secretly collecting memorabilia of him. She needed this. Yet she knew she would be in great trouble if she just ran off. 

“Hold on for just a sec.” Bandit sighed and ran off to her mom. 

“Having a nice talk with Frank Iero?” her mother said somewhat scathingly. 

“Yeah, mom he wants to show me something! It’s about dad! Can I go, please, please, please?” Bandit begged with the best “puppy dog eyes” she could pull. 

Her mother examined Frank for a while with her baggy eyes narrowed. And to Bandit’s great surprise she said with thin lips “Fine. But take Lucy with you.” 

Her mother handed Bandit the leash that was attached to their golden retriever, Lucy. Lucy had been a mysterious gift they had gotten for Christmas last year. Around the time she heard her father was bed ridden and dying. She had shown up on their doorstep with nothing more than a name tag and a gift bow on her head. She was a slightly older dog but she had a lot of pep in her. 

She pulled Lucy and walked back to Frank, now very excited. Frank gave the dog a curious look, smiled a little and motioned Bandit to follow him. 

They got into his car and they drove only a few blocks away. They had gone to a quaint little house at the bottom of a hill that was humble looking but still rather big in size. There were two girls in the front yard, planting some flowers. Two twin girls around Bandit’s age. They greeted Frank as he walked by them, and Bandit concluded they were his daughters. Frank asked Bandit to follow him a little ways away from the house. 

Finally they reached what seemed to be a tornado shelter that went underground. Frank took out a set of keys and unlocked it. They went inside. 

Frank switched on the light and Bandit observed the place. It was room whose walls were completely dressed in paintings. The paintings weren’t very good, mind you. Well not in a technical sense. Some of them seemed to be nothing more than random scribbles. But Bandit liked them a lot. They were abstract.

“They were your father’s.” Frank explained, and Bandit jumped because she had forgotten he was even there. “Every time I feel upset or discouraged, I come in here and I sit.” Frank motioned towards the simple wooden chair at the center of the room. “And I think about how courageous your father was. Even after he was blinded, he didn’t give up on his art. He didn’t give up on his passion. How he was still able to smile, even if it took a bit of work. Your father will forever be my inspiration to never give up on life.” 

Frank then got a box on a high shelf in the room. It looked like a tool box that was old and rusted. He opened it and showed Bandit the contents. There was money inside it, a few hundred dollar bills. 

“I’m saving up to put these babies in a real gallery someday. I think your dad deserves that. This is all I have so far. It isn’t much, but it’s a start.” 

Bandit felt deeply moved. She was close to tears. All the bad things she had heard about this person suddenly seemed like complete and utter lies. Frank pulled out a key from his pocket and handed it to her. 

“I think your dad would have wanted you to be inspired the same way I have. So I’m giving you a spare key. If you ever feel down, or if you feel like giving up or the world is treating you like shit, you’ll always be welcome here. It helps, trust me. It’s like every painting is a story he’s telling. Every painting is like a pep talk he couldn’t be there to give." he sighed and paused before saying "...I’ll leave you to it then.”

Frank smiled at her, and Bandit could tell he was in a very emotional place at the moment too. Just before he was about to turn away, she flung herself at him and gave him the biggest hug she could. He chuckled and returned it, patting her on the back before he left. 

After she heard the door close, she looked at the paintings some more. One of them that caught her eye seemed to be a clumsy depiction of a little girl. She wondered if it was her. 

Lucy barked at something. Bandit turned around to see what it was. She saw Lucy looking and wagging her tail at something strange on the wall. Something out of place. She came closer and saw it was a ripped out page from a sketchbook, much smaller than the paintings. Once she was close enough, she saw what was on it. It was a sketch of her own father. His younger self, like she had seen him in pictures. Just underneath the sketch was a golden plaque. It read: 

“All art made by Gerard Arthur Way: musician, author, artist, and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” 

END.

…Goodbye brown eyes, goodbye for now . Goodbye sunshine, take care of yourself. I have to go, I have to go, I have to go and leave you alone; but always know, always know, always know that I love you so…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: If you don’t get the ending, you should re read the end of the chapter “The Bigger Picture” where Frank helps Gerard sketch.   
> The lyrics at the end are from Avril Lavignes “Goodbye”. I’m not really a big Avril fan, but I heard this song and it was just so amazingly perfect for this fic.   
> Anyway, hope you liked it..


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